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Same old gang kicking late Rob Ford

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford celebrates with his Don Bosco football team after they defeated Senator O'Connor to win the finals of the TDCAA senior boys football 26-14 at Easter Shiner Stadium in North York Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012. (MICHAEL PEAKE/TORONTO SUN)

Quietly at their Sept. 6 meeting, the esteemed members of North York Community Council named a public street within York University “Howard Moscoe Way” after the retired former NDP councillor.

City staff had recommended that the new street — in close proximity to many on-campus sports facilities — be named “Lion’s Way” in celebration of the official name of the York University athletic teams.

But oh no, longtime councillor (and well beyond his best-before-date) Anthony Perruzza preferred the tribute be made to Moscoe, a councillor who during his 30-plus years in office distinguished himself for his constant troughing, his embarrassing tenure as TTC chairman, his screw-ups on the taxi file and his repeated bullying of Rob Ford.

But the same gang who voted down the re-naming of Centennial Park as a tribute to Rob Ford Wednesday night — Maria Augimeri, Christin Carmichael-Greb, Shelley Carroll, Denzil Minnan-Wong and Jaye Robinson — eagerly embraced the idea of naming a street near a sports field after one of City Hall’s biggest troughers, a man who had absolute disdain for taxpayers.

This, however, only further points to the petty partisanship and the hypocrisy of the entire bunch who voted down the Rob Ford naming. I would be remiss if I did not mention the cowardice of those who walked before the vote was taken, except for Michael Ford, who declared a conflict, and Giorgio Mammoliti, who was busy with sick elderly parents.

I have seen many low points at City Hall since amalgamation. But this council under Mayor John Tory hit a new low Wednesday night.

Look, Ford had his demons, of that there’s no question. But during the 14 years I covered him first as councillor and then as mayor, I saw a man who genuinely wanted to do what’s right for taxpayers and for the underprivileged kids he coached at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School, all the while having to endure the many efforts by the left to demean and bully him (see note about Moscoe above).

Despite their political differences, Ford went out of his way to pay tribute at City Hall to Jack Layton in 2011 when he passed away — something that has been conveniently forgotten by his leftist son, Mike.

And what about the other hypocrites?

A number of those who voted against the Ford stadium memorial — Carroll, Michael Thompson, Paul Ainslie, Paula Fletcher, Josh Matlow, Janet Davis and Joe Mihevc — were only too eager to attend Ford’s funeral in March of last year. They sat a few rows in front of me, close enough to mug for the cameras.

Let’s not forget either that councillors Ana Bailao and Paul Ainslie have their own history with the bottle.

Bailao, in my view, got a free pass after being convicted of drunk driving in January of 2013 — a charge she hid for three months.

Ainslie went one step further when he initially lied to the Toronto Sun in May of 2013, denying he’d been stopped at a RIDE spot check and was found to have enough alcohol in his system to lose his license for three days.

It is also utterly appalling to me that this council, led by Joe Cressy and Mihevc, and this mayor would embrace harm reduction sites and drug overdose plans (that enable addicts to take their drugs or alcohol but safely) while choosing to not only ignore that Ford suffered from alcoholism (a disease) but to vilify him for his antics under the influence.

What about Tory? When the self-described “generous” mayor stood up Wednesday night — after introducing the renaming proposal — he made sure he reminded councillors that a) Things were “divisive” under Ford and b) Some of the former mayor’s comments while in office were “hurtful” and “disrespectful” of the office.

His words were akin to pouring gasoline on the fire. I’m now convinced he didn’t want the naming to pass.

But such is the pettiness and hypocrisy at City Hall.

The pitiful bunch on council are selectively tolerant, selectively compassionate and selectively charitable.

Never mind naming football stadiums.

They considered it a win to give Rob Ford one more kick even after he’s in the ground.